Solberg becomes first double winner in World RX

Monday 11 August 2014

Norway's Petter Solberg took a sensational lights-to-flag victory at the World RX of Canada to become the first driver to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy held outside of Europe.

The PSRX driver also became the first double winner in the RX this year. Volkswagen Marklund Motorsport's Anton Marklund and Team Peugeot-Hansen's Timur Timerzyanov finished second and third respectively, both drivers securing podium spots for the first time this season.

Staged at the Trois-Rivieres street circuit as part of the annual Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres (GP3R) motorsport festival, the seventh round of World RX attracted crowds of more than 30,000 people to watch 18 flame-spitting Supercars. Three Canadian stars also helped draw a passionate home crowd as former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, former IndyCar star Patrick Carpentier and multiple Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L'Estage took to the all-new RX circuit.

Villeneuve was denied a place in the semi-finals after a fuel tank issue meant he was forced to withdraw but Carpentier wowed the crowds on his World RX debut, reaching the final and eventually finishing sixth. Round eight of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will return to European soil as the World RX crews prepare for the hugely popular French RX event at Loheac on 6-7 September.